March 2/03 12:10 pm - Women's World Cup Road #1, Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne

Posted by Editoress on 03/2/03
 

Carrigan Wins Opening World Cup Round
Courtesy the organizers

Sunday March 2nd

Australian Sara Carrigan, (Power Plate BIK), 22, today claimed victory in the opening round of the 2003 UCI Women's Road Cycling World Cup, raced along the picturesque Geelong Waterfront in Victoria.

The Queensland cyclist pipped Katie Mactier (AUS / Victorian Institute of Sport), 27, after the Victorian prematurely raised her arms to celebrate, belatedly realising that Carrigan had raced through and with a last desperate lunge for the line claimed the win. Third place went to reigning German road champion, Judith Arndt (GER / Team Nurnberger), 26.

The winner completed the 17 laps of the 7km course (119km total distance) in a time of 3 hr10 min 05 sec at an average speed of 37.56 km/h.

"It's unbelievable!, said Carrigan. "It's my first World Cup win and it's a very prestigious race."

"I'm so excited to win the first round of the nine race series raced here in Geelong in Australia," said Carrigan who paid tribute to team mate Katherine Bates, (AUS ˆ Power Plate BIK), 20, who was with Carrigan and five others who broke away from the main field in the second lap of the race.

"It was a great help having Kate in the break because at the start of the race if I was there by myself without a team mate I would have had to pull equal turns," Carrigan explained. "But Kate was able to drive it for me while I could come through every now and then and save my legs for the finish and it really counted."

The leaders hovered in front with a leading margin of around one and a half minutes for most of the race with their team mates in the main field working hard to ruin any chase attempts by their rivals. With two laps to go, however, the margin had whittled to 30 seconds and the breakaway was under threat. The leaders responded and by the bell lap were more than two minutes ahead. Bates was dropped from the leaders after putting all her energy into softening up Carrigan rivals ahead of the final sprint.

"Even though Kate was not in the front finishing bunch it was because she put all her efforts into helping me," said a grateful Carrigan at the start. Carrigan, who was named the Australian women's road cyclist of the year in 2002 and is the Australiantime trial champion of 2002 and 2003, was overcome with her win, the first for her new professional team.

At the world titles in Belgium last year she was fourth in a four up sprint after she led out but today she didn't make the same mistake racing up from behind to secure her first World Cup victory and the overall lead in the nine round series. Meantime, Mactier, the 2001 Australian road champion, next time plans to keep her hands on thehandlebars until well past the line.

"It churns in my guts and you know what?," said a very dejected Mactier. "I was kind of hoping that no-one saw it. At the end of the day I'll get over it because I've got a really big focus this year," she said. "I want to do well at the World Titles in Canada, as I think the course will really suit me and I want to make the team."

Mactier, who this year will ride for the first time with the American based Saturn professional team, then has her sights set on gaining selection for the Athens Olympics.

"This is just a tiny little step in a big, big plan," she said. "Okay I stuffed up today but I know I've got itwithin myself to be one of the better riders around."

Arndt was just happy to be able to give her team mate Madeline Lindberg (SWE ˆ Team Nurnberger) a birthday present.

"I was not the strongest today ," said Arndt. "Sara and Kate were much better but I'm glad I got flowers for Madeline."



1 Sara Carrigan (Aus) Power Plate Bik 3:10:05
2 Katie Mactier (Aus) VIS
3 Judith Arndt (Ger) Nurnberger
4 Melisa Holt (NZL) New Zealand
5 Kristen Armstrong (USA) T Mobile
6 Natalie Bates (Aus) A.I.S. all s.t.
7 Katherine Bates (Ned) Power Plate Bik at 0:44
8 Petra Rossner (Ger) Nurnberger 2:12
9 Rochelle Gilmore (Aus) FRF-NSWIS
10 Regina Schleicher (Ger) World Team
11 Andrea Bosman (Ned) Power Plate Bik
12 Alexis Rhodes (Aus) ACTAS-Cyclecooma.com.au
13 Miho Oki (Jpn) Japan
14 Alison Wright (Aus) Road Racer-Guerciotto Cycling Team
15 Oenone Wood (Aus) A.I.S.
16 Olivia Gollan (Aus) A.I.S.
17 Amy Safe (Aus) A.I.S.
18 Elizabeth Williams (Aus) VIS
19 Renee Fortunato (Aus) FRF-NSWIS
20 Margaret Hemsley (Aus) Nurnberger
21 Priska Doppmann (Sui) World Team
22 Rosalind Reekie-May (NZL) New Zealand
23 Lorian Graham (Aus) Alchemy
24 Susie Wood (NZL) New Zealand
25 Mari Holden (USA) T Mobile
26 Meredith Miller (Aus) Team Grace
27 Mary Grigson (Aus) ACTAS-Cyclecooma.com.au
28 Trine Hansen (Den) Team Grace
29 Jessica Ridder (Aus) ACTAS-Cyclecooma.com.au
30 Emma James (Aus) A.I.S.
31 Stacey Peters (USA) T Mobile
32 Sigrid Corneo (Ita) Road Racer-Guerciotto Cycling Team
33 Christine Riakos (Aus) FRF-NSWIS
34 Hayley Rutherford (Aus) Road Racer-Guerciotto Cycling Team
35 Kimberley Bruckner (USA) T Mobile
36 Kym Shirley (Aus) Road Racer-Guerciotto Cycling Team
37 Kim Anderson (USA) T Mobile
38 Robyn Wong (NZL) World Team
39 Sharon Van Essen (Ned) Power Plate Bik
40 Christina Peick-Andersen (Den) Team Grace all s.t.
41 Annalisa Farrell (NZL) New Zealand 2:17
42 Natasha Harrigan (Aus) FRF-NSWIS 2:20
43 Madeleine Lindberg (Swe) Nurnberger 2:23
44 Katie Brown (Aus) FRF-NSWIS 13:38


Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne - Belgium

1 Roy Sentjens (Ned) Rabobank 4:52:49
2 Leif Hoste (Bel) Lotto-Domo at 0:18
3 Volker Ordowski (Ger) Gerolsteiner
4 Davide Bramati (Ita) Quick Step-Davitamon
5 Andy Flickinger (Fra) Ag2r-Prevoyance all s.t.
6 Jimmy Casper (Fra) FDJeux.com 1:52
7 Johan Coenen (Bel) Marlux Nixdorf
8 Geert Omloop (Bel) Palmans-Collstrop both s.t.
9 Vincent van der Kooij (Ned) BankGiroLoterij 2:13
10 Antonio Cruz (USA) US Postal Service s.t.